


going for the gold

by kissteethstainred



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Olympics, F/F, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!, background braven + minty, insert cheese
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-05
Updated: 2016-03-05
Packaged: 2018-05-24 23:45:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6171496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kissteethstainred/pseuds/kissteethstainred
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Octavia promises herself this training season that she's not going to date another Olympian.</p>
            </blockquote>





	going for the gold

**Author's Note:**

  * For [millerbellamy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/millerbellamy/gifts).



> HAPPY BIRTHDAY AISLING! a long, long time ago we talked about an olympics au and i sort of combined many of the ideas into this small fic. i'm so, so glad that i know you, you're so amazing and beautiful and well-spoken, and i am honored to be friends with you!

Octavia promises herself two things this training season: 1) she isn’t going to need Bellamy as much anymore, and 2) she isn’t going to date another Olympian, especially not one from another country. She’d been there with Lincoln, and she doesn’t want to go there again.

Except for her first day at the training facilities she’s been moved to, she finds herself calling Bellamy.

“So you do need me,” he answers, his tone amused.

“Shut up,” she says, glancing around to make sure that none of her tour guides are nearby. “I need help.”

“Is everything okay? The facilities are good, right, and they’re not treating you—”

“No, Bellamy, that’s all fine.”

“Then what—”

“They were showing me the other training areas, and the only other indoor facility is the ice skating rink,” she says. “There was an figure skater in there, and I swear to God, Bellamy, she was the most _amazing_ thing I’ve ever seen.”

Bellamy’s silent on the other line. Then he starts laughing.

“Bellamy! Help me here.” 

“You are so _predictable_.” 

“And you’re the worst brother ever,” Octavia says. “This is a dire situation.” 

“Training, Octavia,” Bellamy says. “ _The Olympics_.” 

She scowls. “You’re not fun. Hand me over to Miller, he’ll be sympathetic.”

“Goodbye, Octavia,” Bellamy says. “I love you.” When he hangs up, she can hear him laughing. 

Absolute asshole.

Her tour guide, a friendly man named Jackson, finds her there a minute later, glaring at her phone in a small corner. “Um, Ms. Blake?” he says. “Are you okay?”

“Fine,” she says. “My brother just called, and I wanted to answer.”

Jackson grins. “Is his training going well?”

That’s something their country has promoted again and again—the Blake siblings, here to claim gold medals in their respective sports, swimming and volleyball. She’s been hailed as one of the most talented swimmers of the decade; Bellamy and Miller are hailed for their partnership in beach volleyball. They’ve all been hailed for their looks. Anyone who’s anyone in the Olympics is probably tired of the name _Blake_. 

“Perfectly fine.” Octavia smiles at him, and this one is genuine. “Let’s continue the tour, shall we?”

\--

It’s not that being in a relationship distracts her from the goal. She’s used to balancing the Olympics and a relationship. She basically has a gold medal in balancing dating and training. It’s hard, but it’s worth it, eventually.

So she spends the next week in the water or her bed, practically day and night. Her coach, Indra, snaps at her when her turns aren’t as fluid as they should be, when her style isn’t perfect down to her every breath. Octavia doesn’t get annoyed at the criticism—she’s heard this type of stuff her entire life. If she got annoyed at criticism, she’d never be able to train due to the sheer amount of rage. 

She touches the wall and surfaces. Indra glances at the clock, says, “Three seconds slower than your last run. Again,” and Octavia nods and sets off back down the lane. 

The thing about butterfly is that it requires absolute perfect technique and style as well as strength, but if your technique is shit, you can’t just power through it. Indra watches her technique with eyes of a hawke; best butterfly swimmer in a decade or not, she’s got about as much at stake as Octavia does. 

Getting back into the water helps Octavia to focus again, and she almost forgets about the figure skater. Then she sees her at one of their lunch breaks, at the salad bar. Octavia makes her decision in probably three seconds and walks over to the salad bar as well.

She pretends to be looking over her toppings, waiting for some way of introduction, when the girl says, “Oh! You’re Octavia Blake.”

Octavia looks up, actually surprised, but for once, she’s actually glad for the Blake name. “Yes, but just call me Octavia,” she says. “I’m sorry, I don’t—”

“Maya,” the girl offers, smiling. “Vie. I heard we were getting new trainees, but they never mentioned you were coming.”

“They wanted to keep it under wraps,” Octavia says. “I, um, saw you figure skating the other week, when I came in for a tour. You were amazing.”

Maya ducks her head. “Thank you. I mean, obviously the competition is tough and—”

“Who cares who the competition is?” Octavia says, and Maya smiles. “You’re already an Olympian. My coach always taught me that it’s not about beating the others, in the end. It’s just about making sure I’m so flawless that there is no competition.”

That makes Maya laugh. “I like that,” she says. She smiles a lot, Octavia realizes, and it’s quite a nice smile. Her chest is warm. “Would you want to sit with me?”

“I’d love to,” Octavia says, and follows her to the table.

\--

People assume that relationships are a distraction, which it could be, for the weak-minded. Indra keeps giving Octavia disapproving glances every time she goes out of her way to talk to Maya, but Octavia doesn’t care. She and Miller talked about it once, and it’s relieving to know that he gets it. 

“Obviously I’m not thinking about Monty while I’m playing,” he said. “The second I get off the court, however, _then_ I’m thinking about him.”

“Exactly!” she said, excited to find someone who got her. “There’s a separation.”

Bellamy is of the opposite standing, considering that he and Raven are still only friends, but Octavia and Miller have made a pact not to talk about it with him, because Bellamy only freezes up. He gets really defensive and almost offended, and it’s just better for them to wink about it behind his back.

After two weeks of meeting for lunch constantly, Octavia says to Maya, “Go out for coffee with me.”

Maya shrugs. “Sure. I think there’s a nice shop a couple blocks over, we can run over for workout and—”

Octavia laughs. “As a _date_ , Maya.” 

“Oh.” Maya’s cheeks go pink. “I, um—”

“Oh, God,” Octavia says. “Have I been assuming that you like girls this whole time?”

“No, I do,” Maya says, with a small little laugh. “It’s just—with the Olympics coming up, I don’t really think we should—”

“Please don’t tell me you believe in that _it’s distracting_ bullshit,” Octavia says. Maya gives her a small, apologetic smile. “Maya. Trust me. I’ve dated another Olympian before, and it’s not nearly as hard as you think it is.”

“I just . . .” Maya pauses. “We’re _Olympians_ , Octavia. We’ve bled and cried and lost to get to this point. I don’t want anything stopping that.”

“Trust me,” Octavia says. “The Summer Olympics are closer than the Winter Olympics. It would distract me more than you, and I know I won’t get distracted in the first place.” 

“I would hate myself for distracting both of us,” Maya says with a shake of her head. “There’s just too much at risk.”

She sounds like Bellamy, Octavia thinks. “In thirty years,” Octavia says, “the gold medal won’t be as warm as someone’s arms around you.”

She shouldn’t have said that, she knows it the minute she says it, because Maya’s smile falters and she looks away, her throat working.

“I’m sorry,” Octavia says, touching Maya’s wrist briefly. “I shouldn’t just say things like that.”

“Not all of us are Blakes,” Maya says, her voice hard. “We can’t just . . .”

“I know. It was stupid of me to say.” Octavia drops her fork. She doesn’t want to eat anymore. “I won’t bring it up again,” Octavia says. “The whole dating thing.”

Maya looks at her and doesn’t say anything for a while. Then she nods, already reaching for a banana to unpeel. 

\--

She works off her frustration through swimming. It’s always been one of the good things about the water—it’s always been a second home, of sorts. If she was upset or frustrated or stressed, she could just dive into the water and it would all wash away. 

Indra seems satisfied. She grins sharply at Octavia’s run and says, “Good, that’s better,” and Octavia laughs as she rests her arms on the floor at Indra’s feet. Just because she’s an Olympian, or a Blake, doesn’t mean that she gets praised that much. In fact, it feels like she gets praised less. For Indra to compliment her—it means a lot. She feels like she could do this all day.

She has lunch with Bellamy and Miller today, so she’s even more energetic than usual. She’s glad to have a training facility away from Bellamy, so that she can no longer be part of _The Blakes_ and can be _Octavia Blake_ , but she’s missed him dearly. 

They end up at a local burger joint that’s supposed to be insanely delicious—they all decided that today was one of their splurge days. 

After they’ve all hugged each other, seated themselves, and gave their orders (with some shell-shocked looks, because Olympians may not be actors fame-wise, but a lot of people know them), Octavia says, “So, how are things going?”

Bellamy groans. “No. Today is a splurge day. We are not talking about training.”

Miller is practically inhaling his chocolate shake, and he agrees with a nod of his head. 

“Fine,” Octavia says. The problem with having two emotionally constipated men as her best friends is that she _always_ has to lead conversations. “Miller, how is Monty?”

Miller smiles. “He’s good. He’s got a lot of undergraduates working in his lab right now, so he’s freaking the fuck out, worried that they’re going to break instruments or start the next bubonic plague.” 

Octavia laughs. “When is he coming up? I haven’t seen him in ages.”

Miller’s smile doesn’t fall, but it stiffens a little. He shrugs. “When we both have time, I guess. It’s hard.”

Doesn’t she know it. She gives him a sympathetic smile and says to Bellamy, “And how’s Raven?”

“Sorry?” he asks. “Um, she’s fine. She still has a lot of work to do with her leg. She can bend down as low as she needed, but she can’t move as quickly as she needs to. We’re just waiting until the doctors give her the permission to work as hard as she needs to.” Raven had hurt her leg in a car accident recently, and the doctors were trying to see how her leg healed before she could go back into full training. Bellamy hadn’t been able to participate in the last games (his first games as well) because he’d injured himself, so he knows how to help her in a way that other’s don’t. 

She waits expectantly on them to ask about her life, but they just start talking about volleyball maneuvers and how Raven’s holding her weight. Octavia rolls her eyes as she sips her iced tea. When they finish their train of thought, she says, “I asked you two about your love lives, and you didn’t even have the decency to ask about mine.”

Bellamy chokes on his drink and immediately starts spluttering about how “he and Raven are _not_ in a relationship” and “how many times to I have to tell you guys” and “seriously, Octavia, it never was funny and it never will be.” 

She and Miller exchange a glance, trying not to laugh too much. After a minute more of his spluttering, Miller says, “Alright, Octavia, how is your love life? Figure skater, wasn’t it?”

“Yes,” she says, pleased he remembered when she hadn’t even mentioned it to him, “and it’s pretty much nonexistent.”

“How horrible,” Bellamy mutters, and she kicks him in the shin.

“Octavia! You could have majorly injured an Olympian.” 

“You’re my brother before you’re an Olympian, and that kick was deserved,” she tells him. 

“Figure skater,” Miller prompts.

“She’s beautiful and amazing and pretty much the greatest thing ever,” Octavia says. “But she takes up along the Bellamy school of Olympian-dating.”

Miller winces. “Ouch.”

“Yeah. So now I’ve promised not to say anything, but like—she’s an ice-skater. She has killer calves. And her _thighs_ , oh God, I just want to bury my head—”

“ _Octavia_ ,” Bellamy says, and Miller starts laughing. 

Octavia turns to Miller almost desperately. “How the fuck did you get Monty to date you? I need another gay person’s help.”

Miller says, “Sorry, but Monty and I have been dating before I started training for the Olympics. I really can’t help you.”

Their orders come then, so they pause talking while their food is put down in front of them. Octavia stares at her hamburger and decides nothing else has ever looked more delicious, even Maya’s thighs. 

“Seriously, Octavia,” Miller says, after a brief, five-minute period where no one spoke because they were eating. “If there’s anyone to ask about how to get two Olympians to get together, _you’re_ the one to ask. You’re the only one with experience.” 

Octavia groans. “But it isn’t _working_ ,” she says. “I’m at a standstill. I don’t know what to do.”

Bellamy shrugs. “Is she worth the wait?”

“Yes, but—”

“Then I’m pretty sure you know what you’re going to do.” 

Miller makes a face, but it’s one in agreement with Bellamy. Octavia lets out a long sigh. 

“We’re both young athletes,” she says. “We could have a good two or three more Olympics after this. That’s—that’s fucking _twelve years_ , Bellamy. You’re willing to wait that long? Do you really think that’s worth it?”

He looks her straight in the eye when he says, “Yes, I do.”

Miller adds quietly, “I would.”

“God, look at us,” Octavia says. “A bunch of romantic saps.”

“But I’ve actually got the guy,” Miller says. “So I’m winning.”

Both Bellamy and Octavia flip him off.

\--

Octavia groans as she sits down at the lunch table, her entire body sore. Indra had her working harder conditioning that she’d ever done before, and her body is paying for it.

Maya laughs when she sees her. “I can see you’re tired, but I bet you’re not nearly as bad as me.”

“Are you kidding? I’m way more sore.”

Maya shakes her head. “I had conditioning today—”

“Me too!”

“—and I fell on the ice _hard_. There is a bruise on my hip like you couldn’t even imagine.”

Octavia snorts. “Bruises? Try hitting your head on the concrete wall of the pool while you’re trying to turn.”

“Did you do that today?” Maya asks. 

“Well, no—”

“Then my routine today was definitely harder.”

“Um, no _way_ ,” Octavia says, biting into her apple. “When you skate, all you have to do it move your legs. It’s basically like running. With swimming, the entire water is working against you. _And_ butterfly stroke is one of the hardest strokes to do. You work your entire body—arms, legs, torso, and don’t even get me started on breathing techniques.”

“Are you kidding me?” Maya laughs. “Did you just call figure-skating ‘basically like running?’ I bet you couldn’t even last a day on the rink.”

Octavia snorts. “I so could.”

Maya grins. “Alright. After training tonight, come to the ice rink. We’ll see how easy skating is then.” 

“Fine.”

“Fine,” Maya repeats, her grin getting even larger. Octavia’s heart beats a little faster. She knows this is going to be an absolute train wreck, but as long as Maya’s smiling, Octavia is fine with that.

\--

Octavia is no longer fine with it. 

Maya has been practically laughing nonstop for the last thirty minutes. Octavia could skate fairly well, but once Maya had seen that, she’d tried to get Octavia to do the conditioning drills she’d had. 

“Since it’s as easy as running, and all that,” Maya says, her grin smug. Octavia glares at her. 

As it turns out, Octavia can’t go much faster than her already slow pace, and her balance is crazily off-kilter. Maya does some laps around the rink, and Octavia watches her, the way she seems to float above the ice, the way she seems to hold herself in the air for seconds longer than seems physically possible. She lands all her jumps, she twirls so fast that Octavia can’t keep track of the number, and when she skates by Octavia, she slaps her ass. 

“Asshole!” Octavia says. It’s cold, and that slap fucking _hurt_. If Maya wants to put her hand on Octavia’s ass, she’s totally fine with it, as long as it’s in the right context. 

“It’s just water, Octavia! Can’t you handle it?”

“Don’t play that with me. This is frozen water, and it’s wretched and I hate it. At least my very _melted_ water loves me.”

“You said that it works against you!”

“Maya, it’s always surrounding me and hugging me. Can you say that of your frozen hell water? Can you?” 

After Maya seems to control her laughing and Octavia has admitted defeat, Maya helps Octavia with some of the techniques. 

“Your stance is atrocious,” she says, “and it’s why you keep falling.” 

Maya takes Octavia’s hands and shows her the correct stance, and then she pulls Octavia along the rink. Octavia is equally impressed and mad about the fact that Maya can skate backwards, without even having to worry, and Octavia would’ve fallen at this point if not for Maya’s hands on hers. 

Maya’s hands are pretty much the warmest part of Octavia right now, except for the heated feeling in Octavia’s stomach. It’s equally happy and sad: happy that she’s holding Octavia’s hand, and sad that this may be the only time. 

Maya grins when Octavia successfully does a full lap around the rink, and then says, “Alright, now do the same without my hands.”

“What if we didn’t, I don’t really feel like falling—”

“I’ll be right here,” Maya says. Her smile is so warm Octavia is surprised the ice doesn’t melt beneath their skates. 

Maya does skate close to Octavia, watching the way she moves and giving her small nudges and adjustments. Octavia’s used to the criticism, but Maya says it softly, like she doesn’t want to annoy Octavia too much.

“Hey, I think I’ve got it!” Octavia exclaims, picking up her speed. She manages to complete a turn, even though the arc is wide, and continues her lap around the rink. Maya smiles at her, laughing when Octavia lets out a whoop, and Octavia picks up her speed a little more.

It’s a bit too fast, and Octavia can feel herself wobble a little. She attempts to slow down, but doesn’t really know how. Maya says, “Octavia, lean into your weight, don’t lean back!” but Octavia’s already gained too much momentum. She braces herself, puts her arms out, and crashes into the side of the rink.

The crash isn’t actually that bad. The wood makes it sound harsher than it is, and the impact sends Octavia to the ground, but she doesn’t feel that hurt. She’ll be bruised, that’s for sure, and Indra will give her disapproving looks again, but she’s not majorly injured.

Maya skates right up to her and comes to a harsh stop, ice spraying under her skates. “Oh, I’m so sorry,” she says, offering her hands. Octavia takes them, wobbling a bit as she pulls herself up.

“Maybe teach me how to stop before you teach me how to get speed,” Octavia says, and Maya starts laughing. Octavia starts laughing too, breathless with adrenaline, her hands warmed by Maya’s hands on hers, and she’s totally not expecting it when Maya leans in and kisses her. 

The kiss shocks her to the core; Maya’s mouth is cold, and her hands pull Octavia closer. Octavia is too surprised to kiss back properly, and all she can manage is a soft noise and a brief press of lips. Then it hits her that Maya is _kissing_ her, and she pulls back sharply. 

Octavia stares at her. Maya starts babbling, her cheeks pink, says, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed, it’s been so long and I should’ve asked—”

“You said,” Octavia interrupts, aware that they’re still holding hands. “You said you didn’t want us to be together.”

“I know.” Maya bites her lip. “But, um, what if we did what you said instead?”

“What I said?”

“Yeah. You know.” Maya smiles nervously, hopefully. “We could get coffee.”

A new breathlessness takes over Octavia, one that’s warmer and happier. “You know a place, a couple blocks over,” she says. 

Maya smiles, already nodding her head. “Is that—okay? I mean, do you still want—”

“Yes, _yes_ ,” Octavia says, laughing, and pulls Maya closer. “Just kiss me again.”

This time, Maya frames her hands on Octavia’s face and leans in, her hands warm from where they were holding Octavia’s. Octavia kisses back enthusiastically, pulling Maya towards her, against the wall, so that they won’t slip and fall over. Maya’s hands keep her steady, and once Maya makes a soft sigh into her mouth, the kiss prolongs, deepens, and Maya’s mouth isn’t so cold anymore. Octavia’s mouth feels puffy from the kisses and the ice, and the first touch of Maya’s tongue sends such a warm shock down her body that she feels it in her toes. 

Maya pulls away and rests her forehead against Octavia’s, and then she starts laughing. 

“As it turns out,” she says, “it was more distracting to not be kissing you than to be kissing you.”

Octavia grins and kisses her again. 

\--

Indra looks very disapproving at the bruise on Octavia’s side from crashing into the rink wall, and then she raises her eyebrows when she sees the bruises along Octavia’s collarbone. 

“I won’t give you any mercy,” Indra says. 

“I didn’t expect it,” Octavia says with a grin, and dives into the water. 

Halfway through practice, the door opens to the training room and Maya walks in. Indra immediately starts shaking her head, but Maya says, “I’m just here to watch,” with a smile in Octavia’s direction.

“Absolutely not,” Indra says. 

“If I beat my fastest score right now,” Octavia says, “can she stay?” 

Indra waves her hand at the pool. “Be my guest.” 

When Octavia finishes from doing her run, she brushes her hair back from her face and says, “Well?”

Indra doesn’t look impressed, but she says, “You got it by one second.”

Octavia grins. “She’ll just stay on the sidelines, promise.”

Indra’s mouth almost twitches into a smile. “Back into position, Blake,” she says. “You’re trying to get the gold, not the girl.”

Octavia snaps her goggles back on and says, “I’m going to get both.”


End file.
